A Conversation with Nancy D. Brown
As a young girl, Nancy grew up around horses. Because of her deep love for all things equestrian, her personal traveling motto has become “What better way to see the world than from the back of a horse?” Nancy obtained a degree in journalism in order to combine her passion for horses with writing and now runs two travel blogs as well as freelances for various travel publications (such as the group travel blog Hotel Scoop). In our interview today, Nancy tells us about running multiple blogs, getting into print publications, and where she expects to be in five years. Enjoy!
Nancy, you publish Writinghorseback.com, a blog about where to go for horseback riding vacations, as well as your personal blog, Nancydbrown.com, which offers insider tips on things to see and do while traveling. What made you create two blogs and how has blogging helped your writing career?
As a freelance writer, I write a travel column, “What a Trip” for the Contra Costa Times newspaper. I only have so many words allotted to this column. I wanted to have a place where I could continue the conversation with my readers so I started my blog “What a Trip.” This blog serves many purposes; I am able to write hotel reviews and travel gear reviews here, and it also serves as a showroom for my freelance writing. As a result of my “Things to See and Do” specialties, I’ve had newspaper and magazine editors seek me out for articles on destinations that they see I am familiar with.
Tell us more about the equestrian blog and how that relates to the travel writing industry. How did a blog about horseback riding vacations get started?
As a travel blogger, rising above the clutter is difficult to do. I combined my passion for horseback riding with my writing background to create a niche blog that involves travel and horses. A lot of travel today is about experiences. Equestrians and adventure seekers love seeing a destination from the back of a horse. It provides a unique travel perspective. With my freelance writing career, I was already traveling to places worldwide. Why not infuse horseback riding into the mix?
I see that you’ve written an Active Adventure Guide for Shape Magazine and you recently had the cover of Alaska Airlines writing about Loreto, Mexico. How did you get into these print publications and what advice do you have for others?
With my journalism degree in public relations, I started on the agency side. Handling clients such as Auction Napa Valley, I worked with a lot of food, wine and travel writers. The grass is always greener on the other side and I jumped the fence to travel writing. I attended a Travel Writing conference in the San Francisco Bay Area and they suggested I pitch my local newspaper a travel column. My freelance career has blossomed from there.
How did you cross over to travel blogging?
Living in the Bay Area, home to Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and Twitter, it’s easy to become an “early adopter” embracing new technology. I attended a BlogHer conference in San Francisco. While I learned a lot about the business of blogging, I was shocked that there wasn’t a travel track. After the conference I proposed the topic of travel and blogging and my panel idea was selected and I presented the next year in Chicago. This also happened to be the inaugural meeting for TBEX. What started as a room full of bloggers has now morphed into the world’s largest gathering of travel bloggers, writers and new media.
Sometimes I compare my income stream to the Colorado River–a vital source of water, controlled by a systems of dams, reservoirs and aqueducts. When writing assignments come rolling in, I try and build up my cash reserves so that I can withstand the dry spells that come with life as a freelance writer. Like the mighty Colorado, my writing consists of multiple revenue streams; print and online writing, social media consulting, public relations projects and media partnerships.
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Nancy D. Brown is a freelance travel writer, blogger and public relations consultant. She’s the woman behind http://www.nancydbrown.com , a travel blog offering insider tips on things to see and do, as well as http://www.writinghorseback.
Interview conducted in December, 2013 by Kristin Mock.
About Author
Kristin
Kristin Winet is an award-winning writer, photographer, and teacher. She has contributed to Afar, Roads & Kingdoms, Atlas Obscura, Perceptive Travel, and other quality publications. See more at KristinWinet.com.
Thanks for including me in your series on travel writing, Kristin! I love reading about how each of your guests came to travel writing. The tips are very helpful.
You’re so welcome, Nancy! So glad to have you in our series!
Kristin
Thanks for participating Nancy and for showing the value of specializing in a niche that’s not too crowded instead of being a generalist up against 1,000 others trying to do the same.
Terrific overview of Nancy’s travel writing life. It’s fun to read about people you know. I learned a few things too!